Volume LXXVI, Number 50
Princeton Battlefield Plans Restorations, Will Receive $2-3M in State Funding . . 5 NJ Transit Study Envisions Multi-Modal Dinky Corridor . . . . . . . . . . 12 New System for Collecting Waste Will Require Adapting to Changes . .13 McCarter Theatre Presents A Christmas Carol . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 PU Men’s Hockey Posts Weekend Sweep As it Heads Into Break . . . 30 With Kelly Finding a Comfort Level, Hun Boys’ Hoops Moves to 5-3 . . 34
Exploring W.G. Sebald’s Vertigo in This Week’s Book Review . . . . . . . 16 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . 23-24 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 25 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . 37 Happy Holidays . . . . 19-22 Luxury Living . . . . . . . . 2 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 15 New To Us . . . . . . . . . 26 Obituaries . . . . . . . . . 36 Performing Arts . . . . . 18 Police Blotter . . . . . . . 10 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 37 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
www.towntopics.com
Solidarity Vigil Against Hate, Bigotry to Be Held On Saturday, Dec. 17 A Solidarity Vigil Against Hate and Bigotry will take place at Tiger Park in front of Palmer Square on Saturday, December 17 from 3 to 4 p.m. in response to a recent rise in hate crimes and violence. Sponsored by the Princeton-based Coalition for Peace Action (CFPA), along with the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice (BRCSJ), Not In Our Town Princeton, and the Princeton Community Democratic Organization, the rally will represent a stand against all acts of violence and hatred, online and in real life. “There has been a huge surge in hate crimes and violence,” said CFPA Executive Director the Rev. Robert Moore. “It’s gotten worse and worse. Spreading these hateful messages is pernicious.” Moore cited increasing numbers of attacks and threats against LGBTQ, African American, Asian, Jewish, Muslim, and other communities. “These are the people who are being targeted now,” he said. “We need to be proactive to prevent that, and the best way to be proactive is what we’re trying to do with the solidarity vigil on Saturday.” He continued, “We don’t want these groups to feel that people of good will are just watching and saying, ‘Oh, that’s too bad, but what can I do about it?’ We need to be way more proactive. This event is trying to get ahead of the curve and say, ‘We’re not going to wait for the next hate crime to happen. We’re going to be expressing solidarity with all these victim communities and all people of good will standing together.” ABC Eyewitness News reported last week that hate crimes were up 70 percent last month in New York City compared to the same month in 2021, with antisemitic attacks rising 125 percent. “We have normalized hate and I continue to say the biggest spreader of this hate is social media,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams in the ABC news report. “What social media is doing to normalize hate, to spread hate, it’s just really alarming.” Last month, on November 3, the FBI in Newark reported it had received “credible information” of a threat to New Jersey synagogues. The suspected perpetrator was apprehended the next day, but New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy noted, “This remains a tense time for our Jewish Continued on Page 8
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Wednesday, December 14, 2022
Winter Tripledemic, Health Challenges Loom COVID-19, flu, and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) are all on the rise, and with cold weather and holiday gatherings bringing people indoors together in large groups, the medical challenges of the weeks and months ahead are daunting. The particular situations and risks are different for every individual and every family, but in Princeton and throughout the country, people will be living with the threat of these three viruses during the coming months. Reported cases (unquestionably an undercount) of COVID-19 and COVIDrelated hospitalizations are up more than 25 percent in the past two weeks, and test positivity rates are rising quickly across the country, according to the December 13 New York Times. “The current surge is milder so far than at this point in previous winter waves, but its nationwide scope is concerning,” the Times reported. In Mercer County, reported daily cases are up 66 percent over the past 14 days, but rates and hospitalization levels for COVID-19 in Mercer remain relatively low. A December 7 New Jersey Hospital Association (NJHA) press release urged
New Jerseyans to take precautions to protect themselves against a triple threat of respiratory illnesses “as flu season starts with a vengeance.” The NJHA article noted, “Among currently active respiratory illnesses, influenza accounts for the highest number of emergency department visits, while RSV is responsible for the highest number of hospitalizations.” There was a record number of nearly 950 emergency department visits for children with respiratory
illnesses in the days following Thanksgiving, and about 70 percent of New Jersey’s pediatric beds have been filled throughout November. The press release also reported that New Jersey has already reached “very high” levels of flu, still early in a flu season that lasts until April. NJHA President and CEO Cathy Bennett warned of a challenging season ahead that “will test the health care system’s capacity and resiliency,” and urged Continued on Page 14
Local LGBTQ+ Liaison Welcomes Same-Sex Marriage Rights Bill On the South Lawn of the White House Tuesday afternoon, President Biden held a ceremony in which he signed the Respect for Marriage Act, a bipartisan bill that protects same-sex and interracial marriages. The legislation passed both chambers of Congress last Thursday with 12 Republican senators and 39 Republican members of the House siding with the Democrats to support the bill. In a statement, Biden said the legislation “will give
peace of mind to millions of LGBTQ+ and interracial couples.” Among them are Princeton residents Nick DiDomizio and Robby Pagels, who were married at their apartment four years ago by then-Mayor Liz Lempert. But this is not the time to sit back, said DiDomizio, who is the LGBTQ+ liaison to the municipality of Princeton, treasurer of the Princeton Community Democratic Organization (PCDO), and secretary of the town’s Civil Rights Commission. Continued on Page 10
A HOLIDAY TRADITION: Featuring more than 60 young artists and choreography by Risa Kaplowitz, “The Nutcracker ” was presented by Princeton Youth Ballet at the Princeton High School Performing Arts Center in three performances last weekend. The production was adapted by Talin Kenar. (Photo by Charles R. Plohn)